PSMD: Journey Through the Voidlands
by The Star of Hope
Summary: After Riolu and Fennekin escaped through the door to hope, Mawile was left behind in the Voidlands with the many that're trapped with her. In order to find the others that were captured by the Void Shadows, she'll have to solve the mysteries of this dark world and form alliances, like with Krookodile, the notorious crook, if she hopes to survive this long journey through the void.
1. Prologue: We Fight to the Very End!

**DISCLAIMER:** **I do not legally own the right to** **Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon, but I do own this original story based off the game. Please support the original series and creators. All rights reserved and belong to Chunsoft, the Pokémon Company, and Satoshi Tajiri. Thank you.**

 **What's up, everyone!? This is The Star of Hope saying welcome to my story! You can call me Hope for short if any of you like. After more than a week and playing through Super Mystery Dungeon for the third time (And may I say one of the best stories ever other than Explorers of Sky), I've finally decided to write a little something based off it. I got so into the story that I decided to create a special story that tells what happened after the player and partner escaped through the door to hope and left Mawile and the others in the Voidlands. I decided on this mainly because nobody here has yet to write something like that yet. ;)**

 **This story will take place after and during the time the player and partner returned to their world to stop Dark Matter. During the time, things are going on back in the Voidlands. I know nobody really knows what's going on there, so this is just my own take on it. The story's mainly about Mawile and her journey through the Voidlands, learning and fighting her way with the allies she meets along the way. As to the purpose of it all... You'll have to read and find out. If I told you guys, what would be the point of making this story, right!? XD**

 **That being said, let's get right to it! We're all going back...to the void! To those who've yet to play this game, this will contain spoilers, so be warn if you've yet to play the game. With that said, here it is! Ladies and gentleman...! Boy and girls...! To all the fans of this amazing story...! I present to you... Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon Special: Journey Through the Voidlands! Enjoy! :D**

* * *

 ***Reverse Mountain Summit***

Down in the Voidlands, at the top of the mountain that's suppose to connect this world to the world of Pokémon, a battle had been taken place. Six Pokémon stand surrounded and tired by the strange creatures that inhabit the Voidlands called Void Shadows. They kept popping up from all directions, surrounding them and preventing them from escaping as they were trying to reach the so called door to hope, the only means of escaping the Voidlands.

Riolu and Fennekin were on the verge of exhaustion, much more than Mawile, Entei, Raikou, and Suicune. However, they were surprised when Mawile smiled at them when she approached them, asking if they were ready, while the legendary beasts prepared to unleash all their remaining power...

"Now's the time!" shouted Entei as he, Raikou, and Suicune stood firm and ready.

Then, with a mighty roar from the threesome, they blasted their combined energies at the Void Shadows that surrounded them, destroying them instantly with their legendary powers. Once they were all gone and the legendary beasts seized their attack, Mawile suddenly ran at Riolu and Fennekin and kicked them away. "Go-o-o-o-o-o!" she shouted as the two were sent flying, much to their surprise.

But as they were sent flying, a beam of light shined down from the dark swirling vortex above in the red sky. When Riolu and Fennekin hit the ground on the other side of the mountain summit, the beam of light shined right behind them, revealing the so called door to hope near them. When they got back up, they were surprised when they turned around to see the door was only a few feet from them.

"B-But this is...?!" Fennekin shouted, surprised to see the door in front of her, along with Riolu.

"The Door!" Riolu shouted, but they were shocked when they turned around to see more Void Shadows splatting down and take from in front of them.

"Riolu! Fennekin! Go through the door!" Mawile exclaimed as she, Entei, Raikou, and Suicune readied themselves when more Void Shadows surrounded them.

However, Riolu and Fennekin were shocked when they heard he say that. "Y-You want us to what?!" Fennekin asked, unsure of this.

"But...what about you guys!?" Riolu asked as the door to hope behind them slowly began to disappear.

"We knew it might come to this. We were prepared." Suicune stated as he glared at two Void Shadows in front of him. "We are not such fools to believe that we would all make it back from this place."

"B-But...!" Fennekin replied as the door to hope behind them continued to fade away.

"You are the ones! You have the best chance at saving our world!" Entei exclaimed, though he hated to say it somewhat. "As soon as I found Raikou and Suicune here in the Voidlands, we exchanged a vow... We vowed that we would deliver the two of you back to our former world! You two...are...our...HOPE!"

To hear someone like Entei say such a thing to them, Riolu and Fennekin almost wanted to cry, especially Fennekin. "You... You guys..." she said, trying to fight back her emotions, along with Riolu.

"T-Thank you..." Riolu thanked, while the door to hope behind them still kept fading away as the beam of light above began to dim and disappear.

Raikou turned his head away from the Void Shadows in front of him and was surprised to see this. "The door to hope fades! Go now, you fools!" he shouted as Riolu and Fennekin got serious and looked at one another.

"Riolu!" Fennekin exclaimed, while Riolu nodded in reply.

"Yeah!" he replied as he and Fennekin looked back at Mawile and the legendary beasts. "Everyone...!"

"Just hold on a little while longer!" Fennekin exclaimed, then she raised her voice with her eyes shut. "We're definitely coming back for you! We'll save you from this place!"

"That's a promise!" Riolu exclaimed as Fennekin reopened her eyes before she and Riolu quickly turned and ran right through the door to hope just when it disappeared, leaving Mawile and the legendary beasts with the Void Shadows surrounding them.

"Fennekin... Riolu..." said Mawile, sad to see Riolu and Fennekin go, but got serious again when the Void Shadows moved in closer. "We leave the planet in your hands now... Save our world!"

"They're coming closer!" Raikou exclaimed as he stepped back when the Void Shadows slowly closed in on them.

"Entei, what do we do now?" Suicune asked, turning his head towards the volcanic legendary, trying to stay calm.

"... The only thing we can do..." Entei replied as he prepared for another go at his enemies. "We fight to the very end!"

"I agree!" Raikou replied, feeling the same, and so was Suicune.

"Yes!" Suicune replied as he and Raikou prepared for another go as well, while Mawile, a little exhausted, prepared herself for combat too.

"And I'll fight with you!" she exclaimed, making Entei glance back at her real quick before gazing back at his foes.

"Thank you, Mawile." he thanked as the Void Shadows stopped once they were a few yards away from their prey. "Now let's go!"

With a mighty shout, Entei fired his Flamethrower from his mouth at the three Void Shadows in front of him, burning them away with ease. At the same time, Raikou unleashed his Thunderbolt from his body to zap the three Void Shadows that were in his line of sight, and Suicune fired an Ice Beam from his mouth to block the other four Void Shadows from reaching him and the others.

Though the legendary beasts weren't having much trouble on their end, Mawile struggled as three Void Shadows came at her, but with all her might she ran right at them and swung her maw, smacking them away. Once they were farther away from her, she took a deep breath and blew her Fairy Wind from her mouth at them, and after a few seconds after it hit them, they disappeared. However, it wasn't long till more Void Shadows dripped down from the dark vortex above and caught her by surprise. "W-What!?" she exclaimed as she backed up, only to see more Void Shadows appear around her and the legendary beasts. "More of them?"

"Is there really no end to these things?!" Raikou asked as he blasted another Thunderbolt at two Void Shadows that came at him.

"Just keep fighting!" Entei exclaimed as he blasted another Flamethrower at the ones in front of him, while Suicune unleashed a Roar at the three that came at him, sending him back, but he was slowly running out of strength.

"Why?" he asked, unsure of fighting is logical at this point as more dripped down from above. "The longer we fight...the more energy we waste on no progress. Entei, we have to run!"

"Run where, Suicune!?" Entei asked as he noticed more Void Shadows surrounded him and the others. "If we stop fighting, they'll get us for sure! We can't give up here!"

"But if we stay, we're going to lose sooner or later." Mawile stated as she fired a Flash Cannon by clapping her hands and fired it at two Void Shadows in front of her. "Entei, we need to get off this mountain!"

"I know that!" Entei exclaimed, finding Mawile's statement of the obvious annoying as he saw more Void Shadows appear in front of him. "But if we don't keep fighting, that won't be possible! Just keep at it until we can find a gap! When we do, then we make our escape!"

"Good a plan as any." Mawile replied, knowing that was really the ONLY plan they had as she blew another Fairy Wind at the Void Shadows coming at her.

At the same time, Raikou continued firing his Thunderbolts at the Void Shadows one at a time to conserve energy a little, while Suicune unleashed his Hydro Pump from his mouth and mowed down five Void Shadows in a row. Entei let out another roar as he fired his Fire Blast from his mouth at four Void Shadows that threw themselves at him, only to be burned away by the volcanic legendary.

The four Pokémon continued their repeated attack patterns for as long as they could, but no matter how many Void Shadows they were taking down, more kept coming, increasing their numbers slowly but surely. Eventually, the four were nearly back-to-back as they were now surrounded by more than a dozen Void Shadows. Mawile was panting hard, almost out of energy, along with the legendary beasts, who weren't looking so good either, despite their legendary strength.

"T-This is...bad." Mawile stated with one eye shut and her teeth grit.

"Where is that opening!?" Raikou exclaimed, both exhausted and annoyed as he let out a Roar to blow one of the Void Shadows away from him when it got too close.

"Entei, now what do we do?" Suicune asked, turning his head slightly towards the volcanic legendary.

"... The only thing we got left. We must combine our powers one more time." Entei stated, but this surprised Suicune.

"You can't be serious!" he exclaimed as he glared and grit his teeth at some Void Shadows slowly coming his way. "If we do that now in our current conditions, we'll use up all the strength we have left."

"It's the only choice we got left!" Entei exclaimed, though knowing Suicune was right. "We must!"

Though, Mawile wasn't sure if it really was the best decision, but giving their current situation, it truly is the only choice they have if they wished to get off the mountain. "Entei... Raikou... Suicune... Whatever you three plan to do, please make it fast!" she exclaimed as she blew another Fairy Wind at a Void Shadow, but was fell to one knee afterwards, panting ever so hard. "I can't...keep this up...anymore."

"Raikou! Suicune!" Entei shouted, turning his head towards Raikou, then Suicune.

"I'm ready!" Raikou replied, knowing that it's the best chance they've got, along with Suicune.

"If we must." he replied as he, Raikou, and Entei readied themselves as the Void Shadows closed in.

However, Mawile noticed some of the Void Shadows behind the ones up front suddenly disappeared in the cracks below them, much to her surprise. But at the same time, the legendary beasts charged up their remaining energies and waited until the Void Shadows were close enough. "One...more...time!" Entei shouted as he, Raikou, and Suicune unleashed their mighty roars, blasting all the energy they had left at the surrounding Void Shadows.

One by one, the shadowy creatures were destroyed by the combined power of the legendary beasts. Once they seized their attack, Entei, Raikou, and Suicune were even more exhausted then before. By the looks of it, they almost wanted to collapse, but they managed to stay up, while Mawile witnessed the beam of light shined down from the dark vortex above, revealing the door to hope to them.

"T-The door..." said Mawile as she pushed herself back up, but barely keeping her balance together as she placed her left hand on her right arm.

"Forget...the door." Entei stated as he, Raikou, and Suicune slowly made walked away from it. "We have to...get off this mountain."

"Before those things...come back." Suicune stated, making Mawile turn and follow them, distancing herself from the door to hope as it began to fade away.

But, just when they were near the way down the mountain, three Void Shadows suddenly appear from the ground and blocked their path, surprising them. "W-What!?" Entei exclaimed, but then he, Raikou, Suicune, and Mawile noticed more Void Shadows appear from the ground around them, trapping them from all directions.

"But how...?!" Raikou asked, finding this impossible since they just blasted them all away.

"So that's...what they were doing." Mawile stated, remembering some of the Void Shadows secretly disappeared in the cracks below before the legendary beasts unleashed their combined energies on them. _It's almost like...they expected Entei and the others were about to do. But how?_

"T-This is bad..." Suicune stated as Raikou tried to unleash another Thunderbolt, but didn't have the strength to do so.

As the Void Shadows moved in on them, Raikou growled as he made his fangs spark with electricity and snapped them repeatedly at them, using his Thunder Fang to keep them away. Suicune did the same, but instead used Ice Fang, and Entei used his Fire Fang to keep the Void Shadows from reaching him, but it didn't work for long as they still slowly closed in on them.

With most of their strength gone, the legendary beasts fell to one of their back knees, barely keeping themselves, along with Mawile, he fell to one, unable to find her strength to continue. They watched as their end slowly made its way to them.

"E-Entei... N-Now what?" Suicune asked as Entei growled with one eye open at the Void Shadows in front of him, but then calmed himself, turning his head back towards Mawile behind him, seeing how she was in a much worse condition than him and the others. "Mawile..."

"Y-Yeah?" she replied as she turned her head back towards him.

"For a Pokémon to hold their own this long without legendary strength, it's...impressive." Entei stated, finding how Mawile lasted this long amusing and quite unbelievable. "You truly have the strength...and the will of any legend. You...have my respect."

To hear Entei say such a thing, Mawile gasped, surprised, but then she almost wanted to tear up. To be praised like that from a legendary Pokémon like Entei was almost getting to her, but she tried her hardest not to show it. "Thank you." she thanked as Entei looked back ahead and got serious, managing to push himself up.

"And that's why you can't be here!" he shouted as she suddenly turned and smacked Mawile with his front paw, catching her by surprise as she was sent flying.

At that moment, Mawile gazed in shock as the strength from Entei's sudden smack was strong enough to send her flying pass the surrounding Void Shadows and over the edge of mountain summit. When she noticed this, her eyes widen as the last thing she saw was Entei, Raikou, and Suicune gazing at her as the Void Shadows came right at them. Once she was descending down, she couldn't help but think why Entei did this, and what had become of them now.

 _Entei...! Raikou...! Suicune...!_ she thought as she closed her eyes tight and fell straight down the side of Reverse Mountain. "NO-O-O-O-O-O-O-O!"

* * *

 ** _Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon Special: Journey Through the Voidlands_**

 ** _TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	2. Chapter 1: Keep Moving Forward

**DISCLAIMER:** **I do not legally own the right to** **Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon, but I do own this original story based off the game. Please support the original series and creators. All rights reserved and belong to Chunsoft, the Pokémon Company, and Satoshi Tajiri. Thank you.**

 **Hey, everyone! Hope hear saying welcome to the official first chapter of the story! I know some of you were thinking that the first posted chapter wasn't very long, but that's because it's really the prologue to the entire story, in case some of you haven't figured that out. So far we know Mawile has escaped from being captured by the Void Shadows thanks to Entei suddenly smacking her off Reverse Mountain! Seriously, Entei? XD**

 **Before we begin, I need to tell you guys a couple things. First, if you happen to spot any grammar mistakes, please notify me about them and I'll get to them as soon as I can, but I can't guarantee I'll be fixing all of them. Which leads to the second thing... My writing isn't gonna be perfect, so please don't give me any bad criticism just because of my writing, okay? Besides, isn't it the story that matters most and not the style of writing? That leads me to the third thing... I can't guarantee when I'll be posting new chapters, so bare with me if you guys want to find out what happens next. Patience is a virtue. ;)**

 **That all being said, let's get to the real first chapter of the story! What'll happen now that Mawile has escaped from Reverse Mountain? I'd say that's a cliffhanger, but it's more like a cliff-faller, if you know what I mean. That aside, here it is! Enjoy, everyone! :D**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 1: Keep Moving Forward**_

* * *

 ***The Foot of Reverse Mountain***

A groan was heard as Mawile was seen near the side of the foot of Reverse Mountain. She lied on her back after being sent flying by the sudden smack from Entei. Fortunately, her steel type body was strong enough to take the fall apparently. She continued to groan for a moment until she slowly started to open her eyes, seeing the red sky of the Voidlands above, along with Reverse Mountain and the dark swirling vortex above it.

"...Ugh..." she groaned, feeling the pain from the fall all over her body. "What...happened?"

Using what strength she could muster, she slowly pushed herself to sit up, shaking her head before rubbing the side of it, feeling most of the pain there. "Ow... That was...all of a sudden." she stated as she put her arm down and gazed back up at Reverse Mountain, remember what Entei did before he, Raikou, and Suicune were apparently consumed by the Void Shadows. _Entei... Why?_

The sadness on her face showed as she remembered the appraisal Entei had given her before he sent her flying off the mountain. The last thing she saw from him and the other legendary beasts were their faces gazing at her before the Void Shadows neared them. But, she couldn't understand the reason behind it. They did all they could up on the summit, but why Entei saved Mawile like that was a mystery that she couldn't understand.

"Entei... I don't...understand." she said as she slowly pushed herself up a little more till she was on her feet, then gazed back up at Reverse Mountain. "Why would you do that? Why save me? I would've been fine being captured with you and the others. Fennekin and Riolu probably made it back to our world by now, so, what more can I do?"

That was a question she clearly had no answer to. Even so, Entei saved her from capture, so there must be a reason to it, or at least that's what's going through Mawile's mind as she looked at the ground, confused, but still sad. _You...must've had your reasons, but what were they? I just don't get it._ she thought as she lifted her head back up and looked out at the endless barren wasteland of this dark world. _What am I suppose to do now? I'm all that's left. The others are... Everyone I know is..._

Ever since she came to the Voidlands with Fennekin, Riolu, and the others of the Expedition Society, she tried all she could to protect everyone, but one by one they were captured by the Void Shadows. Bunnelby, Buizel, Archen, and Dedenne... If it weren't for Entei and the others, she, along with Fennekin and Riolu would've suffered the same fate. But now those two escaped, and the legendary beasts were apparently captured too. Now Mawile was all alone in this cruel place.

 _Now what should I do?_ she thought, unsure of what her next move ought to be. _I don't know where I'm going... I don't know if I'll find anyone else here... What am I suppose to..._

But before she could finish her train of thought, she suddenly fell to one knee, feeling the pain going through her body again from the fall and the fight earlier. "Ugh!" she grunted with one eye shut and her teeth grit. "M-My body's still..."

"Come on, Mawile, pull it together now." she said as she managed to push herself back up and opened her eye, getting serious now. "Whatever the reason, I'm here now and that's all that matters. I believe Fennekin and Riolu will save our world and free us from this place, but until they do..."

Using what strength she had, Mawile walked forward away from Reverse Mountain and into the barren lands of the Voidlands. "...I'll just keep moving forward."

* * *

 ***?***

Somewhere in the Voidlands, everything was dark. Nothing could be seen, and the only thing that could be heard were the sounds of goo and some small bubbles popping with very faint echoes. However, emits the darkness, Entei's voice could be heard.

"...Ugh... W-What...?" he said, unsure of what's going on. "Where... Where am I? What...is this?"

"E-Entei...?" said a voice that sounded like Suicune, which surprised Entei. "Is that...you?"

"Suicune!?" Entei exclaimed, unable to see him, but he could hear him clear as day.

"Entei...!" shouted another voice that sounded like Raikou, surprising Entei again. "You're here...too!?"

"Raikou!?" Entei exclaimed, unable to see Raikou either, but like Suicune, he could hear him clearly. "You're here as well?"

"Apparently, but..." Raikou replied, finding that he couldn't move his body for some reason.

"Where is here exactly?" Suicune asked, noticing that he couldn't move his either. "I can't see anything."

"I remember now." Entei stated, trying to stay calm. "Those Void Shadows captured us back on Reverse Mountain. But after that... Everything went blank for a moment."

Just then, a strange unfamiliar sound was heard in the goo-y darkness around the legendary beasts that caught their attention. "Hold on. I hear something." Raikou stated as he, Entei, and Suicune stopped talking to hear the strange sound get louder and louder until Suicune noticed something forming in the darkness.

"I... I see something." he stated as he and the others watched as a pair of glowing red eyes were seen opening up in front of them.

They eyes gazed at them for a moment and blinked a couple times, but then a wicked zig zaggy-like smile was seen forming underneath them. It was like something among the darkness was smiling menacingly at the legendary beasts, and though their faces couldn't be seen, they were definitely freaked out by it.

"What...is...that?" Raikou asked, feeling a strange sense of fear flow through him, along with Suicune.

"I don't know, but I really don't like the looks of it." he stated, trying to stay calm.

"You!" Entei exclaimed, fighting through this fearful feeling. "Who are you!? What are you!? And where are we!?"

When Entei boasted his question to the strange thing that was smiling at him and the others, he got no reply. Instead, the strange thing's smile slowly opened up, revealing it's red inside mouth to them, which both shocked and frightened the legendary beasts. If that wasn't enough, the heard something else that sounded demented and sort of childish. "...PlAy..."

And then, in an instant, the strange thing suddenly came at Entei, Raikou, and Suicune, like it was about to eat them. When it did, all that could be heard were the sudden screams of the legendary beasts.

* * *

 ***The Forgotten Path***

Not long after making her way through the Voidlands, Mawile was seen suddenly running forward, jumped up, and swung her maw at some shadowy illusions of Pokémon that resembled Sawk, Breloom, and Slowbro. With a strong swing, they were sent flying and disappeared into nothingness. However, when Mawile landed back on the ground, she fell to one knee again and was slightly out of breath.

"Can't...keep this up." she stated as she pushed herself back up and continued walking down the path in front of her, hearing the sounds of smoke steaming out of some geysers filled with red water in them. "Gotta...keep...going. Must...push forward."

Using whatever strength she had left, she eventually came across a slightly inclined path that led up one of the small but sharped rock mountains around the Voidlands. It wasn't long until she finally made it to a clearing after walking upwards for a few minutes. She could see a cliff path along the side, and some large rocks near the walls with one of them having a flat surface with engraved ancient foot writing on it.

Once she reached the small clearing, Mawile took a moment to look around and saw no signs of enemies or Void Shadows, much to her relief. "Phew... I think I'm okay here. For now at least." she said as she turned her head to see the ancient foot writing nearby, which surprised her. "T-That's...!"

She didn't use much of her remaining strength to make her way over to the writing and inspected it closely. "Ancient foot writing!" she exclaimed, surprised to see anymore of them after Fennekin read the ones before she and Riolu escaped. "I wonder what it says?"

Unfortunately, without Fennekin to somehow read and understand them, Mawile didn't have a clue as to what any of it said. "Oh... This is no good." she stated, shaking her head sadly. "Without Fennekin, or any of my tools to help decipher this writing, I don't understand what it's trying to tell me. Just great..."

With a sigh of defeat, Mawile gave up quickly on the figuring out the ancient foot writing and turned around to gaze back up at the sky. "I'm really...at a loss here. I really don't know what to do." she stated as she let out another sigh towards the ground, then she turned her head and noticed the large rocks nearby, which gave her a thought. _Those rocks look decent enough for me to hide around. Not too cramped looking, so I should be able to fit between them. Maybe I just need a moment to rest. Yeah..._

With that thought in mind, Mawile slowly made her way over to the rocks and managed to fit between them, thanks to her small body. Once she was covered by them, she turned, sat down, and lied her back down on a rock behind her, setting her gaze at the barren fields of the Voidlands over the cliff. At that moment, she couldn't help but wonder how things are going back with Fennekin and Riolu. She didn't know if they were doing okay or what.

 _Riolu... Fennekin..._ she thought as she closed her eyes and lifted her back up for a second so she could move her maw up, using it to cover herself as she turned to the side, taking this chance to catch a little sleep. _Please be okay. I know this all must be hard for kids like you, but... I still believe in you two. Good luck._

With her hopes and belief set on Riolu and Fennekin, Mawile drifted off to sleep for a little while, hoping by the time she woke up she'll know what to do next.

 _Sometime later..._

"K-KEEP AWAY FROM ME!" shouted a deep male voice that woke Mawile up all of a sudden from her nap.

"Huh!?" she said as she quickly got up, threw her maw back behind her, and ran out of the closed quarters rocks and out into the opening, looking around to find where the voice came from. "W-Who was that? That voice..."

"I SAID STAY AWAY!" shouted the same voice, catching Mawile's attention as she turned towards the cliff edge path in front of her.

"It's coming from over there!" she exclaimed, surprised though. "But, who is it?"

For a moment, she heard nothing, but she knew that voice was coming from somewhere up ahead, and it didn't sound too good in her opinion. Knowing that, she got serious. "Whoever it is, it sounds like he needs help." she stated as she wasted no time heading down the cliff edge path, heading in the direction where the voice came.

* * *

 ***Cliff Edge Path***

It wasn't long after Mawile heard the voice until she came across an open area somewhere along the cliff edge path. When she turned a corner, she was surprised when she saw who it was that was shouting.

 _N-No way...! I-Is that...?_ she thought as she saw a large red crocodile-like Pokémon with a big mouth, black stripes, and sharp claws and teeth that was facing off against four Void Shadows coming for him, and Mawile knew exactly who this Pokémon was. _Krookodile!?_

Krookodile, the notorious crook that hung around Lively Town. Everyone in the Expedition Society knew about him and how tough he was, but by the looks of it, he seemed to be running out of strength as he was panting a little while backing up when the Void Shadows slowly came closer towards him.

"I-I said stay back!" he shouted, but the Void Shadows still kept coming for him. "L-Leave me alone already, you freaks!"

But then, the four Void Shadows made their charge at him, but in response, Krookodile lifted his right foot up and stomped it on the ground, sending out a Bulldoze shock wave along the ground that shook all four of them. It wasn't long after they were hit until the Void Shadows disappeared, much to Krookodile's relief. "Jeez... Why can't these guys get the message?" he asked, but when he turned around, he was shocked when he saw three more pop up out of nowhere in front of him. "W-What the...!? Oh come on...! H-How many of you are there!?"

But just when Krookodile took a step back, he felt the pain of exhaustion go through his body as he fell to one knee. "Ugh!" he grunted as he breathed heavily with one eye open at the Void Shadows coming his way. "Gah... Can't...keep...this up... Why won't...they just go away?"

At that moment, the three Void Shadows charged at him as Krookodile managed to get back up and readied himself for them, despite his lack of strength. However, Mawile suddenly rushed out in front of Krookodile and swung her maw just when the Void Shadows were close enough, knocking them away, but her sudden arrival shocked Krookodile. "Y-You...!"

"Are you all right, Krookodile!?" she asked, but kept her glare on the Void Shadows ahead of her.

"Yeah, I'm fine, but... Aren't you...from the Expedition Society!?" Krookodile asked, still finding Mawile's sudden appearance shocking.

"Yes. Mawile's the name, but this isn't the time to talk about that." she replied as three more Void Shadows appeared behind Krookodile, who turned around and was surprised when he saw them.

"T-There's more of them!" he exclaimed as he backed up, along with Mawile, until they were almost back-to-back, both ready for combat. "W-Where do these guys keep coming from? What's their deal?"

"Talk later! Fight first!" Mawile exclaimed before turning her eyes back towards Krookodile. "Can you still do battle, Krookodile?"

"Hmph... Of course I can!" he replied as he readied his sharp claws. "I ain't out of steam just yet!"

"Good, because here they come!" Mawile exclaimed as the Void Shadows made their charge at her and Krookodile from both sides.

In response, Krookodile used his energy to form a ring of floating rocks around him and then thrust his arms forward, sending his Stone Edge at the incoming Void Shadows as they hit the three of them, knocking them away before they disappeared. At the same time, Mawile took in a deep breath and fired out her Fairy Wind from her mouth at the three coming at her on her side, knocking them away too before they disappeared into nothing.

However, just when those six disappeared, four more appeared, surrounding Mawile and Krookodile, surprising them. "Seriously!?" Krookodile asked when he noticed them. "Just how many of these guys are there!?"

"Just keep fighting, Krookodile!" Mawile exclaimed as she got serious again and ran up to one of the Void Shadows, suddenly forming a strong steel-like chrome veil around her body before she plowed at the shadowy creature with her Iron Head attack, sending it flying before it disappeared.

While she did that, Krookodile, using what little strength he had left, ran right at one of the Void Shadows too and surrounded his claws in dark blue dragon-like energy and slashed one of them at it, using his Dragon Claw. In an instant, the Void Shadow disappeared, but then the one that was close by suddenly came at him, but Krookodile noticed it coming and quickly spun around and slashed his other claw at it, forcing it away and disappear too.

Meanwhile, Mawile clapped her hands together and fired her Flash Cannon at the other Void Shadow that came her, instantly vaporizing it before it got too close. Once it was gone, she let out a sigh of relieve, but then she gasped when five more appeared around her and Krookodile. "What!? More still!?" exclaimed Krookodile.

"They're persistent, that's for sure." Mawile stated as she wasted no time getting ready to continue the fight. "But we can't quit now!"

At that moment, the two Void Shadows near Mawile threw themselves at her, but she spun around and swung her maw at them, repelling them away when they got too close. Then she enveloped her body in a chrome veil like earlier and came at one of them, tacking it with her Iron Head, sending it flying before it vanished. Then she turned her head to see the other one coming for her as she quickly turned towards it and fired her Fairy Wind from her mouth once her previous attack seized, striking it and making it disappear like the others before it.

Meanwhile, Krookodile watched as the other three came for him, but though he was slightly out of breath, he mustered up some strength and suddenly jumped up and plowed right into the ground bellow, using his claws and used Dig just before the Void Shadows reached him. Seeing their target had disappeared, the shadowy creatures stopped and were kinda confused at first, but then Krookodile shot up from beneath them, sending them flying through the air until they fell over the cliff edge.

"Heh... Take that, freaks." he said as he pulled himself out of the ground and breathed heavily, while Mawile panted a little as she looked around.

"I don't...see anymore coming." she stated, but though she couldn't see them, she knew they'd probably show up sooner or later. "This is our chance."

Getting serious again, she turned towards Krookodile. "Let's get out of here while we can. Come on." she said as Krookodile looked back at her, only to see her turn and run off, which surprised him at first.

"H-Hey...! Don't tell me what to do!" he exclaimed, not liking being commanded, but still he knew this was his chance to run before more Void Shadows appeared. "...Oh... W-Wait up!"

It was almost as if Krookodile was a little scared at that moment as he quickly ran after Mawile, following her down the small rocky mountain.

* * *

 ***End of the Cliff Edge Path***

After fighting off the Void Shadows, Mawile, along with Krookodile, made their way down the small rocky mountain. It wasn't long after the fight until they were down the other side of the cliff edge path. They hid around a corner. Mawile, with her back against a rock, turned her head to see if any Void Shadows had followed them, while Krookodile was taking this chance to catch his breath nearby. About a minute later, Mawile let out a sigh of relieve.

"I think we're safe now." she stated, much to Krookodile's relief too.

"Phew... About time." he said as he suddenly sat down on his behind. "Now I can finally catch my breath. Those guys just wouldn't leave me alone."

However, there was something on Krookodile's mind that he just couldn't shake as he looked back towards Mawile, who turned her head to face him too. "But, why?" he asked, making her confused. "Why...would you help?"

"Why?" Mawile asked back, but then smiled at the crocodile Pokémon. "Well, there's not much a reason to it. You looked like you needed help. That's all."

"Well I didn't ask for you help!" Krookodile exclaimed, hating that he had to be helped, but knew instantly that if he didn't have it, he'd probably be finished by now. "B-But... Thanks though."

"It wasn't a problem, Krookodile." Mawile replied with her eyes closed happily. "After all, in times like these, it's best we help one another, right?"

For some reason, Krookodile find Mawile's happy expression a bit confusing. "Um... Right?" he replied as Mawile reopened her eyes and looked around before looking back at Krookodile.

"Krookodile, did you...actually managed to last this long all by yourself?" she asked, making Krookodile grow a smile on his big mouth.

"Yeah, pretty much." he replied as he slowly pushed himself back up on his feet. "I'm as tough as everyone thinks I am. Those weird looking freaks have nothing on me. I've been taking them down left and right whenever they came at me."

"So you actually held out on your own for this long? That's impressive." Mawile replied, finding it very impressive how Krookodile survived this long in the Voidlands, and all by himself too.

"But, wait... If you're here, does that mean...the others of the Expedition Society...?" Krookodile asked, but Mawile nodded in reply to his question, growing a sad expression after remembering what happened to the others.

"Yes. They came here with me, but, the Void Shadows got to them." she stated, which surprised Krookodile a little.

"Void Shadows? So that's what those freaks are called." he replied, but then smirked. "But still, they all were captured, huh? Ha...! And here I've been thinking that you guys were all tough. Maybe I was wrong."

Right when Krookodile said that, Mawile instantly shot a glare at him. "Shut up! If it weren't for a member of the Expedition Society, you would've been toast earlier, right?" she stated, catching Krookodile by surprise, and also frightening him a little.

"Y-Yeah... I...guess." he replied as he calmed down and crossed his arms. "Still though, if they were captured by those Void Shadow things, that just proves how brutal this place can be. Not that I haven't already knew that."

"Yeah." Mawile sighed, growing a sad expression again, but then Krookodile got curious about something else.

"But what about you?" he asked, catching Mawile's attention. "How come you haven't been captured yet? What have you been doing now?"

"Right now I'm just...moving forward." she replied as she slowly made her way pass Krookodile to continue onward, but stopped to look back at him. "And I suggest you do the same, Krookodile."

But just when Mawile continued making her way forward, Krookodile uncrossed his arms and took a few steps toward her. "W-Wait!" he shouted, catching her attention as she stopped to look back at him again, seeing that he looked a little frightened and tired somewhat. "L-Look... I know that you and me have our differences, mainly being on two different side of the law and all, but... You said that in times like these that we should help one another, right?"

"Yeah...?" Mawile replied, turning the rest of her body towards the crocodile Pokémon. "And...?"

"And... Well... If what you say is true, then perhaps...maybe...we should...stick together?" he suggested, but his suggestion surprised Mawile.

"A-Are you serious?" she asked as Krookodile took another step towards her.

"Of course I'm serious!" he exclaimed, but quickly calmed down. "If the two of us work together, our combined strength could help us get through dungeons a lot quicker. That and, since I'm pretty much getting myself lost, might as well get lost with someone else, right? And also...I'm a little bored just talking to myself. So, what do you say? A little truce for now?"

"Hmm..." Mawile replied, crossing her arms, feeling unsure about this, knowing Krookodile reputation, but when he noticed her unsure expression, he closed his eyes and had a look of plea on his face.

"Come on... Please...?" he plead. "I promise I won't slow us down. And I do owe you for helping me after all."

 _That is true, but I'm not so sure having him around is a good idea._ she thought, thinking about every possible outcome of her saying yes. _For all I know, he could try something. Then again, he does have a fair point about us working together. Krookodile is_ _undoubtedly strong, and having him around would be benefiting. There's strength in numbers, and since I don't know where I'm going either, maybe it's for the best. ...Okay._

After much thought about it, Mawile let out a sigh with her eyes closed before opening them back at Krookodile. "Okay, Krookodile. We'll work together for now." she replied, much to Krookodile's joy.

"All right!" he exclaimed happily, but before he got too excited, Mawile shot a glare, uncrossed her arms, and pointed a finger at him.

"But if you try anything funny, I'll beat you down wherever you stand next, got it?" she stated, making Krookodile close his eyes and grinned nervously.

"Y-Yeah. I got it, I got it." he replied before calming down, reopened his eyes, and smiled. "Well then, shall we get moving?"

"Of course." Mawile replied before turning back around and continued heading forward with Krookodile right behind her this time.

Although they had a truce for now, Mawile couldn't shake this suspicious feeling about Krookodile. She knew right away that she'd have to be on guard around him at all times, knowing his reputation as a notorious crook and all. Still, as long as he was with her, she may as well use this unlikely alliance to her advantage, especially in a place like the Voidlands.

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED...**_


End file.
